Wreck-retrieving device



May 15, 1923. 11,455,122

H. J. SCHMITT WRECK RETRI EVING DEVI CE Filed Sept. 4, 1919 Patented May15, 1923.

warren stares Lthilfit PATENT HENRY J. SCHIJIIT'I, F PORTLAND, OREGON.

WRECK-RETRIEVING DEVICE.

Application filed September 4:, 1919. Serial No. 321,632.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I-IENRYJ. ScnMrr'r, acitizen of the United States of America, and resident of Portland, inthe county of Multnomah, in the State of Oregon, has invented certainnew and useful Improvements in IVreck-Retrieving Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying 1Odrawing.

My invention relates to marking buoys to be carried on board of a shipso that, in the-event of its being wrecked, they may serve to indicatethe spot where thewreck lies submerged. p

The distinctive object of my invention -in to provide means, inconnection with marking buoys of the class described, for passing acable from the buoy to a wreck in such manner as to impart to the lattera sufficient lifting force to draw it to the surface or near enough to,the surface to bring it within the convenient application of ordinarysalvage methods.

What; constitutes my invention will be hereinafter specified in detailand succinctly set forth'in the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing presents illustration of my invention that isin the main diagrammatical. Referring thereto,v

Figmre I is a diagrammatical transverse view of the hull ofa floatingship, equipped with my apparatus. V

Figure II is a similar view, of the ship shown in Figure I' submergedwith a marking buoy floating upon the surface of. the water above it. v

Figure III is a view similar to Figure II illustrating the manner inwhich a lifting cable is, by the aid of the line connection between thesubmerged hull and the floating buoy-- applied to the bully tor thepurpose of lifting its I Figure IV is a transverse sectional view 0f'tl18 buoycase in one form of embodiment detached and shown as open, thelid thereof being supported in an open position by an automaticallyacting rack.

Referring to the numerals on the draw ing, 1 indicates the hull of aship and 2 the deck thereof; Upon the deck is carried medially betweenopposite sides of the ship a buoy-case 3 into which. is passed twostretches of a slidable endless line v5, which may be made of aweightsuificiently light to enable-it to connect the hull 1 with a buoyantmember or buoy 6, the floating capacity of the buoy being dulycalculated to sustain the weight of the line. The length of the line 5may be. of course, varied, but, for the purposesof my invention,a'length thereof sufiicient to stretch between floating buoy and a hullsubmerged below it to the depth of say one thousand feet may beemployed. The case 3 should be of a capacity sufficient for the stowingaway within it of all excess length of the line that may be required tobe paid out only in case of a wreck.

In service, while the hull is afloat, the line 5 is kept bent, asindicated at 7 and 8, about separated members 9 and 10 that constitutestable portions or connections of the hull itself, the line being passedthrough apertures 11 and 12 provided for its loose accommodation. In thediagrammatical illustration offered, the members 9 and 10 arerepresented as side-rails projecting above'the deck 2,-but it should beunderstood that such illustration is purely diagrammatical, and that themembers 9 and 10 represent any preferred separated means foroperativelysecuring the line to the hull. In actual use it would doubtless bedesirable to employ special devices for that purpose. Such devices wouldnecessarily be massive and secured to the ship by means of connectionhaving ample strength to meet requirements, and also constructed tofacilitate the slipping of the line through apcrtures corresponding ineffect to the apertures l1 and 12-; Moreover, in actual service.

the stretches 16 and 17 of the line 5, as shown in Figure I, would needto be con veniently stowed away either below the deck 2 or in suchconvenient disposition as would effectively relieve them fromconstituting obstructions above deck. Such provisions are matters ofdetail which may be safely left to the ordinary dictates of good sea-Inanship and with which my invention is at present not concerned. Theseparation of the members 9 and 10 represents means for spreading apartthe stretches l6 and 17 of the line 5, and so preventing entanglement ofone of said stretches with the other upon the flotation of the buoy 6 inservice.

In Figure II the hull is indicated by the numeral 20 as submerged belowthe water level 21 and connected bythe line 5 with the floating buoy 6through a ring 22 depending from its bottom. The buoy, as shown therein,having been automatically lifted out of its case 3 by its buoyancy,floats uponthe surface 21. In Figure II the line 5 is shown as drawn outto its fullest extent and is dis played in the form of a triangle whichis the shape it would assume if it be connected as specified with twoseparated members 9 and 10. In Figure II, the line 5 is shown asperforming only the simple functionofa connection between the sunkenhull and its marking buoy.

In Figure III the distinctive function of the line 5 is made apparent;as shown in that figure, the line 5 is being utilized as a slidableendless conveyor or leader between t'hesunken hull and the marker orbuoy 6 for a cable feed-line which is assumed to be paidout at its upperend 26 from a source of supply not illustrated, for example, a coil uponthe deck of a .ship not, shown. At '27 the feed-line 25 is, as by asplice or any otherconvenient means, fastened to the line 5 at any pointthereof that may be conveniently reached from above the surface 21,

After the connection 27 is effected, the line 25 is, as by manipulationof the line 5,. caused to pass downwardly underneath the supportingmember or members 9 and 10, as the case may be, say through theapertures 11 and 12. the splice 27 being shown in Figure III as havingjust passed through the aperture 11. i

the movement of said line until the feed-line 25 reaches approximatelythe ring 22 upon the manner described, made available for manipulationabove the surface 21, its ends '27 may be separated from the line 5,which may thereafterbe dispensed with, and the line 25 then slippedthrough the apertures 11 and 12 independently of the line 5. Thefeed-line 25 is so designated because it is designed and adapted to beemployed a's a leader to a cable of. any desiredthickness which the sizeof the apertures 11 and12 may be designed to accommodate. The line 25may be a light one and may in service be enlarged by successive lengthsattached to it until a line of sufiicient strength to draw the cablewith certainty is arrived at.

When the cable is at last substituted in place of the feed-line 25 itmay be utilized in any usual or preferred, manner and, by the aid of anyusual or preferred mechanism, as a means of lifting the hull 20. As iswell known, the weightof a hull in water is comparatively so light as torequire but comparatively small force for lifting itsubstantially t'oassumes of the water. when By a continuing haul upon the l ne 5, thesplice 27 is caused to pass with the hull has been, by means described,lifted close to the surface, it becomes a simple matter to applyordinary methods in the complete salvaging of it.

The case 3 is shown in the drawing, by way ofexample, as an oblong boxset upon its side and of dimensions adapted to accoin modate the buoy 6,whose ring 22 is shown as located upon one side of the buoy. It isobv1ous,.however, that the buoy when afloat may be partially submergedalongits greater extent, and that the. ring 22, insuch case, could befixed in the endthereof instead of in the side. The case Baasillustrated, is

shown with a hinged lid 28 which is preferably supported upon its hingewhen open as by a rack 29' whose teeth engages supporting member 30within the cases This detail, as illustrated, shows provision of meansfor preventing entanglement of the linei5 by the closing of the lidduring such time as the line 5 in double lengths is being paid out fromthe case 31 under the ascending movement of the buoy through the water,

The buoy is preferably proyided with guard-rails or fenders 31forprotecting it from injury as by bumping against the side of a salvageboat, for examplei The operation of my device, in view of described asfollows:

the foregoing specification, may bebriefi'y One or more independentbuoys, as many will be lifted by the water and will draw the line 5outof the case 0', which is'pref 'erably constituted its repository wheni't is not in actual service. It is obvious that the buoy will performits function as aniarker, irrespective of the endless nature of the l1ne5, so long as that line is of length sufficient V to accommodate itselfto the depth 'of submergence of the hull 20'. The onlyip 'int forconsideration, therefore, in determining the length of the line 5 is themaximisadep h of the water in which the of a: ship is likely to occur.

After a buoy floating above a wrclr and connected with it by the meansdescribed, is discovered and its location is made sure, the work ofsalvaging the wreck be delayed to any convenient season pending preparation for the work.

What'I claimi's: I

1. The coinbinatien with the top deck of a ship' havin aanaeise1y"disssa&- t at ings' in the side walls thereof, a buoy casing mounted onsaid deck-intermediate the said side walls, a buoy normally housed insaid casing, an endless line slidably connected to the buoy andextending through said openings and below said casing, and means whenthe ship is submerged'below the surface of the water for automaticallyreleasing the buoy from its casing for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with the top deck of a ship havingtransverselydisposed openings in the side walls thereof, a buoy casing mounted onsaid deck intermediate the said side walls, a buoy normally housed insaid for automatically releasing the buoy from its casing for thepurpose specified.

3. The combination with the top deck of a ship having transverselydisposed openings in the side Walls thereof, a buoy casing provided witha pivotal lid mounted on said deck-intermediate the said side walls, abuoy normally housed in said casing, an endless line slidably connected,to the buoy and extending transversely across the deck through saidopenings, and means when the ship is submerged below the surface of thewater for automatically raising the lid in said casing and permittingthe buoy to float to the surface for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

HENRY J. SCHMI TT.

Witnesses: JOSEPH L. ATKINS, J OHN B. CLELAND.

